Q. Does it shorten the life of an LED bulb to turn it off and on?
A. No, unlike fluorescent bulbs, LED lighting is not affected by being turned on or off. Because the constant flux of the power surging to conventional lighting does not affect LED lighting.
Q. Do LED light bulbs come on instantly or do they have a delay like compact fluorescent lights (CFLs)?
A. Most LED lights switch on instantly at full brightness just like incandescent or halogen bulbs. They do not suffer from the “blooming” effect of CFL bulbs.
Q. Where are the best places to put LEDs in my home or business?
A. Locations where the lights are left on the longest amount of time. Due to their long life, LED lights are also ideal for hard to reach spots like high ceilings, recessed or track lights.
Q. Can all LED lighting be dimmed or used with dimmer switches?
A. Yes, most LED lighting can be used with dimmer switches. When purchasing an LED light ensure the packaging specifically states that it’s dimmable. Also, be sure to look at any additional requirements the lights may have in order to dim properly. This may include using low voltage electronic or magnetic dimmers or making sure to have enough LED light bulbs on a dimmer so that the lights dim to their lowest possible setting. The dimmer switch you already have may not work well, therefore be prepared for the possibility that another type of dimmer switch may work better.
Q. Why do some LED lights last longer than others?
A. Not all LED lighting is created equal. While all light bulbs suffer from a diminished amount of light output over time, unlike incandescent light bulbs, LED light bulbs don’t typically fail completely but continue to lose brightness over thousands of hours. The industry considers an LED light bulb’s life span to be over when it reaches 70% of its initial brightness. Well-designed LED lights will last 25,000 to 50,000 hours. The actual lifespan of an LED light depends on several factors; heat is produced around the LED chip, which can cause an accelerated decrease in the life and performance of an LED light if the heat is not dissipated properly. Well-designed LED lights will have high quality components designed to move the heat generated by the LEDs away from the LED itself.
Some lesser quality LED bulb makers will overdrive the LED inside the bulb with more electrical current than they are designed to handle. This will yield more initial brightness from the LEDs but results in a shortened lifespan and shifts in color temperature. WARNING: Manufacturer’s who claim 100,000 + hours for their LED lights are publishing a half truth because they are typically making claims based on lab tests of the LED chip itself and not the LED light bulb or LED fixture as a whole.
Q. What about using LED lighting in fully enclosed housings?
A. LED light bulbs do not like excessive heat particularly around the LED chips and circuitry. Operating LED bulbs in tightly enclosed spaces will result in higher ambient temperatures and reduces the ability of the bulbs to dissipate heat unless some type of heat sink is built in to the housing. Failure to allow access for the heat to leave the fixture will result in diminished bulb life. Many LED bulb manufacturers include product labeling stating that their bulbs are not for use in totally enclosed fixtures and that doing so will void the warranty on these products.
Q. What does Color Temperature (CT) or Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) refer to?
A. LED lighting is available in a wide range of color temperatures from the warm yellow color of an incandescent bulb to the neutral color of a halogen to a cool blue color similar to a bright but overcast day. We recommend familiarizing yourself with the color temperature scale used to define what hue of light a specific LED bulb emits. Color temperature is based on the Kelvin temperature scale, measured in degrees, and ranges from 2600°K on the low end to over 6000°K on the high end for most lighting applications. Most home applications should utilize lighting with a CCT at or below 4000°K. Light emitted above 3500°K is popular for commercial environments or very modern decors that seek to reproduce a daylight look.
Q. Do LED bulbs emit UV and IR radiation?
A. Most LED bulbs produce a “cold” beam that contains only visible light therefore containing no ultraviolet (UV) or infrared (IR) light. There are several advantages to using a light that only emits electromagnetic radiation in the visible spectrum, as a light without UV or IR will not fade colors, degrade artwork or radiate thermal energy (heat) in the beam. This makes LED lighting an ideal candidate for retail shops, galleries and museums, all of which need lighting with good color rendering and that won’t adversely affect the merchandise or art displays.
Q. What does Beam Angle refer to?
A. Knowing the beam angle of a light bulb helps to ensure that you’re buying a product which will give you adequate lighting in a particular application. Light bulbs are often referred to as ‘spotlights’ or ‘floodlights’,and while these terms do relate to beam angle, they still leave some ambiguity due to the wide variation of bulbs that fall into each particular category. For instance, one floodlight bulb may have a beam angle of 30° while another may have a beam angle of 75°. Quite a difference! Beam angle specifically refers to the angle at which the light output has been reduced to 50% of the maximum center beam brightness. For instance, let’s say a PAR30 LED light bulb has a center beam candlepower measurement of 800. If at 30° to one side of the beam the candlepower has dropped to 400 then we know that the beam angle is 60° (see diagram below). It’s best to buy spotlight bulbs when trying to highlight a particular object or concentrate light in a smaller area. Use floodlight bulbs when trying to achieve more general illumination, such as in recessed downlighting.
Q. What is a lumen?
A. Lumens are a measurement of light output. The technical definition goes beyond the scope of our frequently asked questions, but the fact is that knowing something about the lumen is becoming much more important as we move away from using traditional light bulbs. With incandescent lighting most people are used to associating brightness with certain wattages (i.e. a 100W bulb is brighter than a 75W bulb), but wattage is really a measurement of the power required to light the bulb and not a measurement of light output. A 60 watt incandescent bulb produces about 800 lumens of light and yet an LED bulb can output the same amount of light using 12 watts or less. It’s the lumens that are really important here, and the less wattage it takes to supply a given amount of light the better and more efficient your lighting really is. In the near future most types of light bulbs will require the lumen output to be listed on the bulb packaging. This will make it much easier to compare different types of lighting and how efficient they are.